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St. Cyril and Methodius Day at Devin Castle

The national celebration of the 1154th Anniversary of the arrival of Cyril and Methodius to the territory of today’s Slovakia under the auspices of Prime Minister Róbert Fico was held at Devin Castle near Bratislava on July 5, 2017. Beside the Prime Minister spoke also the General Bishop of the ECAC in Slovakia Miloš Klátik and the Archbishop Stanislav Zvolenský. This national holiday is always celebrated on 5 July in Slovakia.

General Bishop of the ECAC in Slovakia Miloš Klátik and the Chairman of the Ecumenical Council of the Churches in Slovakia in his speech highlighted that the Cyril and Methodius had brought God´s word in understandable language and they had created foundations for creation of national culture. He pointed out „We have to realize that if we want to create something permanent, it has to build on the foundation of God´s eternal laws. There are many temporary and short-term values but the word of the Lord endures forever.“

Prime Minister Robert Fico at a national ceremony in his speech said: “We all knew what was the significance of the coming of Cyril and Methodius, and we embedded it in the Constitution Preamble”. According to Prime Minister „the two Byzantine brothers brought to the territory of modern-day Slovakia not only the Christian faith, but also education, putting the local people among the most advanced societies of that time. They helped the contemporary political elites to understand the identity of their values. Their unyielding faith in their own knowledge is also inspiring,” claimed Fico.

“We’re standing before challenges concerning what Europe will look like tomorrow, in a year or in a decade. We’re asking whether Europe is strong enough to be able to resolve its own problems. Are we able to face the risks of a multi-cultural Europe? Is Europe still alive, or is it slowly dying internally? We’re hearing claims that we’ve been weakening and that Christianity is dying under the pressure of liberalism and individualism,” said the Prime Minister, adding that he’s aware of the importance of partnership in ideas of Church and State in such turbulent times.

On the end of his speech Fico added „Cyril and Methodius came to teach people to live, and they gave them an identity. I believe that the current Church also has such personages who could help Slovakia and Europe to overcome a difficult period of changes. This is why I’m calling for political responsibility, as the future of our beloved Slovakia will soon be at stake.”